I love discovering foods that are new-to-me and turning them into friends. Escarole is one of those ingredients I was quickly intrigued by, but I confess after I heard about this interesting type of greens that can be eaten cooked or raw, it took me a while to try it. Actually, when I was first getting to know it, more than once I brought escarole home, only to have it go bad in the crisper. Maybe it was that feeling of escarole regret that spurred me on to make a salad with this head of escarole, which might have been a day or two past it's prime, but was definitely still good when I rescued it from the crisper. I checked Food Blog Search for inspiration and remembered Molly's Escarole Salad with Avocado and Parmesan, and I was also intrigued by how The Chocolate Lady had recommended a bit of marinating time in her recipe for Non-Cooked Escarole. I also had a bulb of kohlrabi my sister had given me, and some radishes in the fridge, and that's how this salad with escarole, kohlrabi, and radishes was created.

It may have been the Fattoush-Inspired dressing that was partly why I loved this salad so much, so if you don't have escarole and aren't likely to buy it, just use romaine lettuce and make the salad that way. I promise the combo of lemony wilted greens and still barely crisp kohlrabi and radishes is one that will make your tastebuds happy. And if you do spring for escarole and try it in this salad, I'd love to hear how you like getting to know it.

Grind together the salt and garlic, then whisk together the juice of one lemon, some of the zest of the lemon, a generous pinch of Sumac, and 3-4 T of olive oi. I recommend adding a few tablespoons of olive oil and then whisking in a little at a time and tasting, until you like the ratio of lemon to olive oil.

This is the escarole after I removed the outer leaves, but The Chocolate Lady has a great photo of a full head of escarole. Use the white inner leaves for salad greens, cutting off the stem, washing the greens, and chopped or tearing into pieces.

Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family with a flavor that's similar to turnip, so if you don't find it you could use raw turnip instead. Peel the kohlrabi and cut into thick strips.

Trim the radishes, wash, and cut into half-moon slices that aren't too thin.

Combine the chopped escarole, kohlrabi strips, and sliced radishes in a plastic or glass bowl.

Then pour over the dressing, toss, and let the salad marinate as long as you can stand to wait before eating it. For me that was about 15 minutes, but next time I would try to wait a little longer!

Wilted Escarole Salad with Kohlrabi, Radish, Lemon, and Parmesan
(Makes 2 generous servings, recipe inspired by escarole that needed to be used and salads at Orangette and In Mol Araan.)

Use a mortar and pestle or spoon to mash together the garlic and salt and put in small bowl. Zest lemon and add to salt-garlic mixture, then juice lemon and add the juice. Add sumac, then whisk in olive oil, starting with two tablespoons, then whisking in a few teaspoons at a time until you think the balance between lemon and oil is just right. (I like a lot of lemon.)

Wash escarole, spin dry or dry with paper towels, then chop or tear into bite-sized pieces. (For washing in the salad spinner, I chop first and then wash.) Slice kohlrabi and cut into short strips about 1/2 inch wide. Trim ends from radishes, cut in half lengthwise, then slice into half-moon slices.

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Hi Kalyn,Lovely looking salad. I, like you, rarely use escarole uncooked but now that you mention it....and adding the raw kohlrabi, wow.Usually I use this delicious green for soup, with either homemade broth or canned. Add a can of white beans and a few sprinkles of grated parm, and you have a most wonderful yummy meal. Thanks for reminding me that it is "salad" too; and the added bonus of again using the sumac, terrific. Thanks.

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